New restaurant poised to take over vacant Coopersmith's Poolside space

A new Korean fried chicken franchise called Bonchon, and a companion Korean salad restaurant have plans to open in CooperSmith’s former Poolside location, joining Visit Fort Collins as tenants in the Old Town Square building.

Henry Lee and his wife Jane Rong Li, Bonchon franchisees who own five locations in Colorado Springs and Denver, are expanding the brand into Fort Collins, with plans to split the 5,000-square-foot space with a Korean salad restaurant, Salady, Lee told the Coloraodan Friday. He plans to open the eateries early next year.

Started in 2002 by Jinduk Seo, who was born in South Korea and raised in New York City, Bonchon (which means "my hometown" in Korean) has 400 international locations, but most U.S. sites are primarily on the East and West coasts.

Their fried chicken is hand battered in flour and other “secret ingredients,” double fried to lock in the juices, and hand brushed with its signature sauce, according to its website.

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The franchise, which offers fast casual to full dine-in experience, will occupy two-thirds of the old Poolside location in Old Town Square. The space has been empty for nearly two years since Coopersmith's shuttered the Poolside space across from its brewpub.

"I think the key is it's another unique type of thing we're trying to do with Old Town Square — something that you don't get elsewhere," said building owner Brian Soukup, who owns Progressive Old Town Square Properties.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: New restaurant poised to take over vacant Coopersmith's Poolside space